Yes Diaby in terms of midfielder replacing midfielder but Gonalons is more of a holder

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Olympique Lyonnais established itself as the pre-eminent French club and a feared opponent in European competition. French champions in every year from 2001 to 2008, the club has lost its way of late. They have only won one French Cup since their last title and in recent seasons have struggled to secure Champions League football.

This season, though, has seen a return to form. Significantly, media coverage moved from Lyon to Paris and with it went the pressure on the squad. For the first time in ages, Lyon was no more than an outsider at the start of the campaign. They have coped better with lower expectations and go into the tail end of the season the only club standing between Paris SG and the title.

This performance may be seen as the result of a combination of cash saving policy and a re-born youth academy. The best example of this may be Arsenal target Maxime Gonalons’ quick progression from debutant to leader.

Two years before Gonalons’ birth in 1989, Lyon appointed Jean-Michel Aulas as president. Under his strong management, they quickly climbed the steps separating Ligues 2 and 1 and went on to dominate. Gonalons joined OL aged ten and has been a prized asset ever since, making his debut in 2009 and becoming captain in January 2013.

It has not all been easy. On the verge of signing his first professional contract aged nineteen, he suffered blood poisoning which left him facing the loss of a leg. He recovered slowly but surely and during the 2009-2010 season was integrated to the first team.

He made his first start in the Champions League preliminary round tie against Belgian side Anderlecht and went on to make twenty-seven appearances during his first season at the top level. Twenty-eight followed in his second and due to the quality of his performances he was called up to the French under-twenty-one squad.

The summer of 2011 saw a change in Lyon’s ideas. Aulas understood that the club could not afford the high wage bill it had built up and maintained for years. Remi Garde, then a coach at the club, was appointed manager. His task was to get Lyon back to the summit while reducing running costs. The obvious solution was to give opportunities to many young players from the club’s academy. Gonalons was set up as the leader of a new generation and became an automatic starter for the following campaign.

From there his performances only improved, attracting attention from across the continent. Real Madrid and Napoli were among his keenest followers but he proved his loyalty by agreeing to a contract extension linking him to the club till 2016. Around the same time, he was called up to the French national team by Laurent Blanc for two autumn friendly internationals. During the home tie against the United States played on November 11, he made his debut for Les Bleus, coming on as a substitute for Yann M’Vila.

In April 2012 he made his one-hundredth appearance for Lyon aged twenty-two, and a week later lifted his first trophy, the French Cup. Following such a successful season, he was extremely unlucky to miss out on a place in Laurent Blanc’s squad for Euro 2012. His rise to prominence could not be stopped, however. 2012-13’s Trophée des Champions, played in New York against Montpellier, saw Gonalons take the captain’s armband for the first time and he has since been a regular call-up to the national side.

Technically, Gonalons is not an exceptional player. However, his cleverness is the key. Fantastically intelligent, he is already a brilliant holding midfielder. On top of a physical capacity to run from box to box for ninety minutes, a player playing his position should always be capable of analysing the situation in a split second and take the good decision, whether it is with a view to regaining possession or to start attacks.

Positioning, anticipation and a panoramic view of the football field are these qualities and are without a doubt they are Maxime Gonalons’ key strengths. In that regard, he is the player Arsenal have been missing for years: the pivotal defensive midfielder on whom the side can depend.

For all of this, Gonalons will be on the radar of not only Arsenal but many other top European clubs this summer. If it was not for super Gareth Bale, Lyon would have eliminated Tottenham from the Europa League in their recent tie, during which Gonalons proved to everybody he was capable of running the game at the top level of football. If Arsène Wenger is serious about his interest, he will have to act fast.

The great Arsenal teams of the Arsene Wenger era had a defensive mid who could protect the back four, win the ball and was a physical presence in their tackling. In my opinion, Arsenal has sorely lacked the physical presence in the middle of the pitch that would win the ball back and own their territory.

Gonalons is not shy about going into a challenge. The picture on this slide probably got a few people's attention, but it illustrates both the good and the bad about Gonalons' "physical" presence.

The good is that Gonalons is more than willing to play a physical game, but it is also this trait that is bad for him. His willingness to commit to a challenge leads him to pick up needless fouls. In the games I have seen him play, his desire to win the ball has led to some awkward or untimely challenges.

Playing in the Premier League means not being afraid to mix it up physically, but it also means being smart about the when and how of the challenge. In my opinion, Gonalons still has some work to do on the when and how.

Gonalons is confident with the ball at his feet
Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images
Arsene Wenger has always coveted players who could "play beautifully." Fitting into the fluid game Wenger teaches requires touch. Gonalons is confident with the ball at his feet. He holds the ball up well and is adept at moving the ball out of the defensive third to start the attack.

While very good on the ball, Gonalons is not the type of player who will successfully carry the ball box-to-box leaving defenders in his wake, but in the Arsenal scheme of things, that is not needed.

In my opinion, Gonalons possesses the on-the-ball elements that will be required of him if he were to move to London. Those elements are solid, accurate passing, and the ability to hold the ball under pressure and find the next pass.

The position of holding/defending midfield requires leadership. The player does not need to be the team captain, but must be vocal on the pitch. The player must be able to coordinate with the back four and help organise the midfield.

Gonalons is able to lead from this position. As Lyon's captain this season, Gonalons has been vocal with his mates on the pitch in the right way. His leadership has helped a very young Lyon squad be a contender this season, despite the summer exits of veterans like Hugo Lloris, Cristiano Marques Gomes and Aly Cissokho.

Wearing the Arsenal colors would require this of him to help in trying to organize what has been a weakness for the gunners.

I covered Gonalons physical presence in an earlier slide, but outside some timing issues in his challenges, Gonalons is a very good defensive midfielder. He is positionally sound, and rarely gets caught over-committing to the attack.

Gonalons uses his 6'2" frame very well in defending set pieces and crosses. He also uses his height to latch onto free kicks in the attacking third.

Beyond being a minor presence on the receiving end of attacking set pieces, Gonalons will not be a player to light up the score sheet. He has a solid shot with his preferred foot (right), but will not be a top choice for taking free kicks from dangerous positions at this time.

Offensively, Gonalons can still develop into more of a scoring threat from set pieces and spot kicks, but when buying a defensive midfielder, the goal scoring is always a bonus.

here has been a lot of talk about Arsenal's need to buy players with Premier League experience. Gonalons does not bring that to the table, but he does have some good experience, considering his age.

Gonalons has experienced multiple games in Champions League competition facing the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid. He has also recently faced Tottenham twice in Europa League action this season.

These may not count as consistent Premier League experience, but Gonalons has been exposed to competing against top level clubs.

My personal opinion of Gonalons is that he is a taller version of Mathieu Flamini. I believe Gonalons would be an asset for Arsenal and could grow into a main contributor in a relatively short time. Unfortunately, time is something Wenger may not have.

Gonalons is not the type of player who can transform the team by his presence. He is more of a player who would be an upgrade at the position and would provide more than adequate play at his position at this time.

There are better options at the defensive midfield position out there for Arsenal to consider, but if they do settle on Gonalons, I feel he could be a valuable player.